The present disclosure relates to computing systems, and in particular to distributed computing systems.
Distributed computing systems, such as grid-based computing systems, may include multiple physical and/or virtual (e.g., cloud) computing systems, each of which defines a computing node in a communication network. The networked nodes may interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal. For example, in a grid-based computing system, a problem may be divided into multiple non-interactive tasks, and each of the tasks may be performed by one or more of the different computers that define the nodes of the network. The nodes may include servers, network storage devices, routers, gateways, communication links, software (e.g., applications, operating systems, web services, etc.), and/or other devices. The nodes may communicate with each other by passing messages via the network. The nodes may function as clients, servers, or peers, where peers can function as clients or servers.
In such node-based computing environments, it may be desirable to allow for management of both physical and virtual network nodes. Management can include updating software, adding users, etc. For example, in distributed computing systems, the nodes of the network may not be permanent, and each node may have limited knowledge of one another. As such, it may be desirable to enable nodes to further communicate with each other, for example, to share information, such as requests for code, objects, knowledge, etc.